Too much time on my hands

Is it possible that I have too much time on my hands?  It certainly doesn't feel that way to me, but why then, for example, do I have enough time to search Giada Laurentis' art choices for her home  or go through slide shows of other people's houses when my girls are taking frequently interrupted naps? It sounds so trivial, but let's face it, no one's coming to me for a solution to stop the oil spill in the Gulf (it looks like the only solution is to do as the Russians did and detonate a small subterranean nuclear explosion....what?!).

I was struck by the "Amore" acrylic on canvas in Giada's kitchen and I wondered where it came from which led me to a really cool story about the artist, Darren Quinn.  He created the original "Amore" as a wedding gift for Giada and her husband. An original can cost between $3500 to $400.  Quinn is a talented artist but also happens to be a fearless Quadriplegic who created a board so that he could still windsurf!  http://www.darrenquinn.com/index.html

Then I was really mesmerized by the simplicity of the design of one of the featured house tours on apartmenttherapy.com.  This site is one of my favorite ways to waste hours viewing other folks' design choices.

The Conwallisville, NY house is really lesson in restraint and embracing the old.  The house's owners took 5 years to find the house and another 2 stripping away layers of paint and wallpaper, and whitewashing the interior.  As you can see it's stone house with a barn now used as a pottery studio.

I love that there's no Viking stove or a Sub Zero fridge.

The veranda and stairs in the library that go nowhere.  I love it!

A wood stove as the focal point of the room, a cozy guest room, and peeling paint on a bathroom  wall just became charming.

Outdoor bath or horse trough?  Who cares?

Next time: Musings on children's TV characters. 

The Best Age

Not biting or pinching each other, so it looks like a good day!

Despite the fact that one of my daughters handed me a poopy diaper that she had covertly removed (sadly, we've entered the diaper self-removal stage), I just realized that my girls are at a very cute age. They're talking a lot, just like little parrots, and they really let me know what they want (and they want a lot).

Things they love:

• their BFF Maya (and her little brother Tino)
• Mummy
• Daddy
• Grandmummy & Abuelito
• 'beats (this is Sophie & Sienna-speak for the Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr.)
• the hose
• dancing (They have a clear preference for Latin music.)
• maracas (Sienna) & drums (Sophie)
• pops (orange juice popsicles)
• swings
• climbing into the car themselves
• Grandma Bruna's meatballs

Things they don't like:

• anyone's dirty shoes
• band aids (= boo boos)
• riding in the cart part of a shopping cart
• the baby pool
• waking up from naps
• most food other than hot dogs, pops, or grandma Bruna's meatballs
• mowers (they shout "no mow")

This morning: waffles & art.

The clinginess has decreased and now I actually can prepare a meal without a child attached to my leg. I took a shower AND blow dried my hair STRAIGHT today (although there was a diaper removal incident during the blow drying).

Are these the faces of angels or what?

My mommy obsessed girls are becoming more and more independent (sassy) and I have to admit that I get a bit of a kick out of it. It takes a lot not to laugh when Sophie doesn't just tell me "no" but instead says "no way." A friend's son of the same age says "never" which I think is hilarious.

Don't drop the drumsticks!

I love that they're quite willing to share with other children, and when one twin is upset, the other can usually be counted on to bring her a pacifier or toy to cheer her up.

Loving (kind of)

To top it off it looks like they also adore the beach, so it looks like it might be a great summer.

The Power of Advertising: Shoes

I was contemplating a new pair of shoes. Actually they are sandals. So I went to Cole Haan's website to give them another look, but this time there were "other images" to click on. As soon as a I saw the picture of the chick playing her guitar in her closet while wearing the sandals, I knew they would be mine. I'm such a sucker.

They are the most comfortable sandal, and I can run around after my girls all day, not wishing that I was wearing sneakers or my usual flip flops.

Air Whitney Gladiator, colehaan.com

Swimming Pool Dreaming

Hot days deserve a swimming pool. Note, I didn't say that I deserve a swimming pool. Additionally, my yard deserves a swimming pool. If you took a picture of my back yard there would be a post-it note centrally placed that reads: insert pool here.

I've assembled a bunch of pools that I love from Apartment Therapy and various other locations (thanks!). Here they are:

Like a lake....I think this could be Sixx Design's home in Great Barrington.

For this one you'd need a pool boy.

Here's Maria & Larry just lounging on a Friday afternoon. I wish!

The pool at Chateau Marmont. I like that it's oval.

Simple pool, simple chairs, and a hedge of bamboo for privacy.

Babe Paley, the queen of Palm Beach cool.

The circular pool, like the house, seems to work with its environment, although it doesn't look like it should.

Realistically, I shouldn't even be pool-dreaming until my little angels are a lot older, or can at least swim. I just need to keep reminding myself, and when it's time I'll be ready with my idea folder. In the meantime you can find me cooling off in their baby pool.

Coppa Enoteca

You know I'm really fond of a restaurant when I say to my husband "every place should be like this." That means it's the whole package to me: ambiance, food, and usually location. That's how I feel about Coppa Enoteca. Like a lot of restaurants in Boston's South End it not only attracts the neighborhood folk, but also suburbanites like me, but it's no-reservation policy, and 40 seats luckily seem to hinder too many of us from making it uncool!

Coppa opened in January and is the latest and greatest from chefs Jamie Bissonette and the very busy Ken Oringer of Clio, Toro, and La Verdad (to name just a few) fame.

As you know, I don't hit too many hot spots these days, but we were able to get a table at the early-bird hour of 5:30 on a Saturday night. We thought our strategy was so smart, but we were wrong. The friends we were meeting began calling us at 5:10 saying the line was getting longer and longer. But don't let this deter you, because it's totally worth it just to try the Farro Salad, Salumi, Fois Gras (one of the best I've ever tasted), Oysters, Wood Grilled Pizzas, or any of the nine other small plates we ordered. Like most tapas menus prices range fron $5 to $15 per plate, and they recommend each person orders two or three and sharing is recommended.

The vibe's friendly and a little boisterous, a great place to meet with friends who will land the perfect table!

Like the kids on Yo Gabba Gabba sing: Try it. You'll like it. http://www.coppaboston.com/

To cook dinner or not to cook dinner

I was holding a crying toddler as I attempted to mash potatoes in my KitchenAid while talking on the phone to a friend who, hearing the panic in my voice and chaos in my house, asked me why I even bothered cooking "real" meals.


Now that's a good question. It seems there's something very un-progressive about 1) thinking your KitchenAid is cool, and 2) wanting to put a home cooked meal on the table almost every night. Almost is a key word here. Before having to provide 3 meals and multiple snacks every day for my twins, I loved to dine out, and still do. But now, even though their restaurant behavior seems to be fairly exceptional lately, it just seems to make more sense to eat at home most nights.


Maybe it's my own mother's model. Bless her heart (am I now a Southern belle?), the woman had a balanced meal on the table EVERY night. Though my sister and I didn't know it, we didn't have too many luxuries growing up, but my mom was and still is, a master grocery shopper, and always seemed to pick up special treats like artichokes and lobsters when they were on sale at the market. Truth be told it was cheaper to cook at home vs. in a restaurant or take-out, so the latter wasn't even an option, but let's give credit where credit is due, it takes a lot of effort to churn out decent tasting meals every night.


Luckily my husband picks up a lot of the slack and is always willing to help when he gets home. When we have guests, he runs the cooking show, thank God! He's a far better cook than me, and it seems to come naturally to him, which slightly shames me into trying to be a better cook. I have about 5 meals that I cook relatively well (more on that in the future), but even those I have the potential to mess up!

note: Ina's the BEST!

I think the key is organization. For example, I started a Capponata while making the girls breakfast, but this is rarely an option since most days my girls won't stand for anything but my undivided attention. Maybe they're taking a turn, and won't need me to watch Sesame Street with them anymore. Regardless, I'll keep plugging away at my little menus inspired by Ina, Tyler, and Giada and try and hold on to the easy, fast, yet amazing ones so that I can perpetuate my Donna Reed facade.

Just when you thought your life was crazy.....

Bravo (my fave channel) has introduced "9 By Design," a docu-drama about Cortney & Robert Novogratz who have, get this, seven children, and a fabulous design/house-flipping business in NYC. Why so many kids I wondered? I gather they're both from big southern families and just think that's how you do it. They have two sets of twins in the bunch, and a new baby.

The Novogratz kids include Wolfgang, 12; twins Bellamy and Tallulah, 11; Breaker, 9; twins Five and Holleder, 4, and Major, 1. Did you notice that Five is #5? I love it!

The homes they design are fabulous, and have sold for record prices even by NY standards. But I really love their parenting style. In the first episode, Cortney sends the 4-year-old twins into a hall closet to play.

It seems they live in the houses for a while before they sell, and keep moving into two-bedroom apartments. At nearly nine-months pregnant Cortney also appears to pack her own house and move all in one day. I'm so impressed by this superwoman.

Watch it on Tuesdays at 10pm on Bravo. http://www.bravotv.com/9-by-design